Vancouver Canucks: The Bad, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Vancouver Canucks are just a bad team. That's it. Here I am watching the beginning of the 3rd period against the Avalanche. 23 seconds in and the Avs have scored again, for the 6th time tonight. Besides the Canucks just being inconsistent, they have no character and they have no identity. Other teams who have less skill and size always manage to have that one person or effort that can change the momentum of the game. The Canucks have none. Luongo, though an amazing goalie and leader on the team, cannot leave his end and put one in the opposition's net. Throughout the team's history, they have been a middle-of-the-road team. And similar to a break up with a lover, it's the indifference of this team that makes the losses worse. Love me or hate me, but just don't keep me hanging in the middle somewhere. That is the feeling of the average fan of the Vancouver Canucks. I could go on and breakdown every missed opportunity and bad decision, but I'll let the media who get paid do that. It's not about those cliched lines the interviewers and players have to tow when on TV, or radio. It's about the larger picture. People in Vancouver say it's bandwagon jumping, but I believe the team must have a bandwagon to get on to first before you can jump.

The question is what to do. What is the reality of the Canucks? Well for one thing I hope at this point they miss the playoffs. It's better not to torture the fans with a faint hope that the team can use to justify their actions next season. They need to learn that the fans in this city will not be happy with JUST good enough, the fans want a convincing win. A team that can control their own destiny. They can take a losing game and turn it around and win it. This team needs to keep Luongo some of the current defence, and everyone else is expendable. They need scoring, someone who can score more than 25 goals a season: a clutch player. If they can do that they might have a chance to win. They need a Captain that's... well... a captain. A person that can single-handedly lead a team to the win, and point out the way to do it.

I will always love this team, and will support them, but they must not give me a reason night in and night out to throw something at the TV. People talk about confidence, the team needs more confidence. We don't pay doctors and lawyers tons of money just for them to fail simply because they just didn't feel confident about that surgery, or that trial. Hockey players get paid way too much to phone in a game.

I hope the Canucks fail in the meanwhile in order to win in the long term. And as I'm nearing the end of this game they are about to lose against another division rival, I can't help but think that the Vancouver Canucks are just a bad team. They have too much to fix and too much at stake to be pretenders. Get off the ice Canucks so we can get on with real hockey.